Editing Chabadpedia:Short description (section)

==Content==
{{shortcut|CB:SDCONTENT|CB:HOWTOSD}}
'''The short description is part of the article content, and is subject to the normal rules on content''', including [[Chabadpedia:Neutral point of view|Neutral point of view]] and [[Chabadpedia:Biographies of living persons|Biographies of living persons]]. The normal editing rules such as [[Chabadpedia:Consensus|Consensus]] and the [[Chabadpedia:Editing policy|Editing policy]] also apply.

As explained in more detail below, the aim is not to provide a definition of the article's topic, nor to summarise the lead. Instead, concentrate on the [[#Purposes|purpose]] of the short description: to complement the title with additional useful information in such a way that a user who sees the two together can easily tell what the article is about and distinguish it from other similarly-titled ones.

What this entails will depend on how self-explanatory the title itself is, and each article should therefore have its own purpose-written short description. It is the editor's responsibility to ensure the short description is appropriate, accurate and compliant with Chabadpedia's policies; this is particularly important for biographies of living people and for medical articles. While the [[Chabadpedia:Shortdesc helper|Shortdesc helper tool]] allows text to be imported from Wikidata, that should be done with caution as Wikidata descriptions do not follow Chabadpedia policies, and are often inappropriate: see {{section link||Why not simply re-use Wikidata's item descriptions?}}. 

===Content text===
When visible on desktop or mobile, the short description immediately follows the article title, and the two should be comprehensible when read together.
{{Anchor|SDNOTDEF|SDJARGON|SDDUPLICATE|SDAVOID}}{{shortcut|CB:SDNOTDEF|CB:SDJARGON|CB:SDDUPLICATE|CB:SDAVOID}}
'''A short description is not intended as a definition''', and editors should not attempt to define the article's subject, nor to summarise the lead. There is no objection to a suitable short description that also happens to work as a definition.

As far as possible, it should:
* focus on the [[#Purposes|purposes]] stated above
* start with the most important information (mobile applications may truncate long descriptions)
* use universally accepted facts that will not be subject to rapid change, avoiding anything that could be understood as controversial, judgemental, or promotional
* avoid jargon, and use simple, readily comprehensible terms that do not require pre-existing detailed knowledge of the subject
* avoid duplicating information that is already in the title (but don't worry too much if you need to repeat a word or two for context)
* avoid time-specific adjectives like "former", "retired", "late", "defunct", "closed", "current", "new", "recent", "planned", "future", etc.
* avoid subjective adjectives like "small", "famous", "popular"

=== Format ===
{{anchor|Formatting|SDFORMAT|CB:SDLENGTH|SDSHORT}} {{shortcut|CB:SDFORMAT|CB:SDLENGTH|CB:SDSHORT|CB:SD40}}

Each short description should:
* be written in plain text {{ndash}} without [[HTML element|HTML tags]], [[Help:Wikitext|wiki markup]], typographic [[dingbat]]s, [[emoji]]s, or [[CSS]] display manipulation
* start with a capital letter<ref group=note>Other language Chabadpedias typically prefer lowercase; check this if you're planning on editing any of their short descriptions on Wikidata.</ref> 
* avoid starting with an [[Article (grammar)|article]] (''A'', ''An'', ''The'') except when required for correct grammar and meaning
* avoid using a final [[full stop]] (period)
* be '''short''' – no longer than is needed to fulfill [[#Purposes|its functions]] effectively
** More than 80% of short descriptions use fewer than 40 characters (including spaces).
** Fewer than 3% of short descriptions are longer than 60 characters, and short descriptions longer than 100 characters will be flagged for attention. 
** Short descriptions exceeding 40 characters may be truncated in some contexts.<ref group="note">Below search results and in suggested article boxes at the bottom of mobile view. See [[:Chabadpedia talk:Short description/Archive 12#Reasons why SDs over 40 characters are a problem|discussion]].</ref>
** Because they are intended to be scanned quickly, longer, more specific descriptions can be less useful.

{{Anchor|SDEXAMPLES}}
=== Examples ===
{{shortcut|CB:SDEXAMPLES}}
A good way to draft a short description is to consider the words that would naturally follow if you started a sentence like this: 

* "'''[Article subject] is/was a/an/the ... '''".

You can then use those additional words as the short description. So for example if you wanted to write a short description for [[Stève Nzigamasabo]], your sentence would be "Stève Nzigamasabo is a ''Burundian footballer''"; and ''Burundian footballer'' becomes your short description.

Here are some more examples, though they can all be varied if the context allows something better. Remember to ensure that your description is short ([[#Formatting of dates|§ Formatting]]).  See also [[#Inclusion of dates|§ Inclusion of dates]]. 
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Type
!Notes
!Example article title
!Suggested short description
|-
|Titles that are globally self-explanatory
|The entirety of the title is reasonably clear to English-speaking readers worldwide.
|[[Alpine skiing at the 1960 Winter Olympics – Men's downhill]]
|[[#"none"_as_a_short_description|none]]
|-
| rowspan="4" |Locations
|Most locations: "[type of location] in [town/area/region], [country]"
|[[Yiwu]]
|City in Zhejiang, China
|-
| rowspan="3" |Indicate the country in the short description, if not explicitly stated in the title. It is reasonable to expect that most country names are known worldwide, although it may be beneficial to explain the names of smaller countries. If space permits, it can be useful to include the local region, for example province, state or municipal area (those cannot be assumed to be known globally).
|[[Geology of Dorset]]
|Geology of English county
|-
|[[Geology of Massachusetts]]
|Geology of American state
|-
|[[Geology of India]]
|[[#"none"_as_a_short_description|none]]
|-
| rowspan="2" |Person
|Most persons: "[country adjective] [what the person is known for]"
|[[Tobi Amusan]]
|Nigerian sprinter and hurdler
|-
|Explain what the person is best known for. Even very famous American celebrities may not be well known to all English speakers: a proper short description helps readers of different cultures as well as those who fall outside the person's usual fan demographic.
|[[Burt Reynolds filmography]]
|Performances by American actor
|-
|Publication
|Most publications: "[year] [type of publication] by [author]"
|''[[The Color Purple]]''
|1982 novel by Alice Walker
|-
|Media
|Do not assume that the titles of popular media are known globally.
|[[List of Star Trek: Voyager episodes|List of ''Star Trek: Voyager'' episodes]]
|Episodes of American TV show
|-
| rowspan="2" |History of ...
| rowspan="2" |Use "none" only where the entire title would be understood worldwide. Explain words that may not be understood globally.
|[[History of Jiangxi]]
|History of Chinese province
|-
|[[History of film]]
|[[#"none"_as_a_short_description|none]]
|-
| rowspan="2" |List of ...
| rowspan="2" |Use "none" only where the entire title would be understood worldwide. Explain words that may not be understood globally. To keep it short, there is no need to repeat "List of".
|[[List of catgirls and catboys]]
|Human characters with feline traits
|-
|[[List of animal sounds]]
|[[#"none"_as_a_short_description|none]]
|-
| rowspan="2" |Flag of ...
| rowspan="2" |If the country is stated in the title and well-known globally, "none" may be enough. Otherwise, the short description should, at the very least, specify the country.
|[[Flag of Norway]]
|[[#"none"_as_a_short_description|none]]
|-
|[[Flag of Mississippi]]
|US state flag
|-
| rowspan="2" |Elections
| rowspan="2" |"none" is all that is needed for a national/general election, as long as the country is clear from the title and well-known globally. For local elections, indicate the country and, if space is available, the level.
|[[2022 Brazilian general election]]
|[[#"none"_as_a_short_description|none]]
|-
|[[2022 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election]]
|State election in India
|-
|Sport
|Make sure the sport is stated, as well as the country if appropriate. Abbreviations should not be assumed to be understood globally.
|[[2022–23 NBA season]]
|North American basketball league season
|-
|Organisms
|Most organisms: "[type of organism] of [common name or description]"<br>Do not include family name or taxonomic terms other than species, genus or group.
|[[Rose]]
|Genus of flowering plants
|-
| rowspan="2" |Miscellaneous
|"Type of [noun]"
|[[Pennsylvania Railroad class H8]]
|Type of steam locomotive
|-
|General: "Concept in [academic field]"<br>Try to be more specific than "Concept" unless that is impossible due to the complexity of the subject. However, "Concept" is better than an excessively long description that, contrary to [[Chabadpedia:SDNOTDEF|SDNOTDEF]], attempts to define the topic.
|[[Independent and identically distributed random variables]]
|Concept in probability and statistics
|}
In all cases, provide what information you reasonably can, remembering that your description [[Chabadpedia:SDSHORT|is expected to be short]] and that you are [[Chabadpedia:SDNOTDEF|not aiming to write a definition]].

{{Anchor|SDDATES}}

=== Inclusion of dates ===
{{Shortcut|CB:SDDATES}}
Dates or date ranges are encouraged when they enhance the short description as an annotation or improve disambiguation. As long as the [[#Formatting|formatting criteria are met]], biographies of non-living people, articles on specific publications, and dated historical events generally benefit from dating, but since the description should be kept short, other information may need to take precedence. Care should be taken when the [[CB:BLP|biographies of living persons]] (BLP) policy applies: birthdates for living people should not be included unless sourced within the article. 

Recommended date formats are given below, but these can be varied if there is contrary consensus on the talk page. In biographies, distinguish between dates defining a lifespan ''"(birthyear–deathyear)"'' and those defining a period in office ''"from startyear to endyear"''. For historical biographies, specific dates such as "1750–1810" are preferred over "18th-century" for clarity. Other dated events or ranges can use any format as long as the meaning is clear.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Date inclusion recommendations, by article subject type
!scope="col"| Type
!scope="col"| Criterion
!scope="col"| Recommended date format
!scope="col"| Examples
|-
!scope="row" rowspan="6"| Biography
|rowspan="3"| Lifetime most important
|[Person description] (''birthyear''–''deathyear'')
|English composer (1668–1735)
|-
|[[CB:BLP|BLP]] or year of death unknown: [Person description] (born ''birthyear'')
|English composer (born 1668)
|-
|Year of birth unknown: [Person description] (died ''deathyear'')
|English composer (died 1735)
|-
|rowspan="3"|Period in office most important
|[Office description] from ''startyear'' to ''endyear''
|{{Unbulleted list
| King of Scotland from 1488 to 1513
| Pope from 965 to 972
}}
|-
|Currently in office: [Office description] since ''startyear''
|President of Mexico since 2012
|-
|Term of office contained within one year: [Office description] in ''start''/''endyear''
|President of the United States in 1841
|-
!scope="row"| Publication
|Publication in a specific year
|''Publicationyear'' [Description]
|{{Unbulleted list
| 1964 American film
| 1988 novel by Penelope Fitzgerald
| 2001 video game
}}
|-
!scope="row" rowspan="4"| Historical
|Event in a specific year
|''Eventyear'' [Description]
|1861 American Civil War battle
|-
|rowspan="3"| Period or range
|[Description] from ''startyear'' to ''endyear''
|Epidemic of plague from 1665 to 1666
|-
|[Description] (''startyear''–''endyear'')
|Epidemic of bubonic plague (1665–1666)
|-
|[Description], ''startyear''–''endyear''
|Epidemic of bubonic plague, 1665–1666
|}
Where a date is not known exactly, "c.&nbsp;" may be used for "circa". Other examples are given at [[CB:APPROXDATE]], although "fl.&nbsp;" for "[[floruit]]" should be avoided as it is not universally understood. Centuries should not be abbreviated "c.&nbsp;" due to the potential for confusion with "circa".

{{Anchor|SDNONE}}
=== "none" as a short description ===
{{Shortcut|CB:SDNONE}}
{{see also|Chabadpedia:Short description#Examples}}
All articles should have a short description, but some article titles are sufficiently self-explanatory to English language speakers worldwide that a descriptive annotation would not be helpful. Such articles can be given the short description "none". 

A short description should never be the same as the article's title. If the [[#Purposes|primary purposes]] of a short description are entirely met by the title wording, that is a good indication that "none" would be appropriate.

The short description "none" should be used sparingly, and only where the entirety of the title will be reasonably clear to English-speaking readers worldwide. Bear in mind that readers outside your own country or culture may never have come across terms that to you are extremely well-known. Rather than using "none", try where you can to construct a short description that imparts useful information. 

A decision on whether to use "none" should always be based on the comprehensibility of the words used in the title, and not on the form of the title. Articles should be assessed on their own merits, and editors using semi-automated tools to write short descriptions must never assume that all articles with a title of a particular form (e.g., "List of ''x''") should be treated in the same way.

To use "none", add <code><nowiki>{{</nowiki>[[Template:Short description|Short description]]<nowiki>|none}}</nowiki></code> at the top of the page; this ensures that the article appears in [[:Category:Articles with short description]]. Occasionally, a default value of "none" may already be transcluded by a template; that default should not normally need to be edited, but it can be overridden for a specific page by adding <code><nowiki>{{</nowiki>[[Template:Short description|Short description]]|''Overriding description''<nowiki>}}</nowiki></code> at the top of the page.

=== "List of ''x''", "History of ''x''", "Flag of ''x''" and similar titles ===
{{Shortcut|CB:SDLIST}}
[[Chabadpedia:Stand-alone lists|Stand-alone lists]] and articles with titles such as "History of ''x''", "Flag of ''x''", or similar should never be given the short description "none" purely because they are lists or have a title of a particular form. Instead, one should consider each article individually and try to create a short description that provides the reader with some useful information about ''x''. Only if the meaning of ''x'' itself is reasonably clear to English-speaking readers worldwide is the short description "none" appropriate.          

Articles with titles of these types will often benefit from a short description similar to the one used for the main article about ''x'' itself. For example, a good short description for [[List of Friends episodes|List of ''Friends'' episodes]] would be "Episodes of American television sitcom". It should not be "none", since the term "''Friends''" – no matter how well known to readers familiar with American TV – will not necessarily be clear to other English-speaking readers worldwide. The short description for the article ''[[Friends]]'' ("American television sitcom (1994–2004)") provides a useful guide to what is needed for the corresponding list.          

If there is little space, write a short description that covers ''x'' alone: it is not essential to repeat the words "List of" in the short description. You may not be able to gloss every term but do the best you can while keeping the description short.